Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Weeds

Oh yes, i do have them. When I made a comment about the weeds needing to watch out now that I'm off work for the summer, some commented that they couldn't see any weeds in my flower beds. There are a few there, but mostly they are in the veggie gardens. I didn't get any photos taken of the purslane trying to take over the home veggie garden.

I got lots of gardening in across the street today. It's hard to believe with all those trees over there, that there is enough light and space for a garden.

The trees weren't there when Larry's mom gardened over here. I remember her growing lots of sweet corn, green beans, and tomatoes here. I would love to hire someone to trim back some of the branches. Larry did the ones he could reach last year.

If you turn to the right instead of going straight, you'll see an area of flowers I planted. I don't think I showed them last year. They mostly came from divisions from my yard. The previous renters let both this and the veggie garden area go to the trees and weeds. I offered to trim out this area to try to save the smoke tree, but they didn't want to mess with it.

I am still fighting with weeds and trees trying to come up.

The smoke tree is coming back, and Jeff, the owner is tickled, wanting me to go ahead and nurture it. I need to move one of the patches of fireworks goldenrod to give it more room to grow.

I also need to pull some weeds. I hope it grows lots this year. (It's the reddish leaved plant.)

The garden window across the street is in a bedroom we turned into a dining room. We see these flowers from there. I thought the rudbeckias were annuals, but they came back here, and in a tub in our yard. I'm thinking they are 'Indian Summer'.

OK, let's go find some more weeds.

I planted sweet potatoes in several spots, and the rabbits are eating them. I keep forgetting to find something to protect them. Some of the plants they ate are growing new leaves. The two large plants to the right of the left tree trunk are either poke weed or volunteer celosias. I think they are poke weed. There are a bunch of little trees I need to keep after.

Here's a nice assortment.

I think these are the Spanish needles that one really does not want to go to seed.

I'm not sure what these are.

I already got the potatoes weeded a few days ago. I've been doing better about hilling this year.

I forgot to look up clover and alfalfa to see if this is one of the two. Do you know? I am leaving it here, hoping the rabbits will be drawn to eat it instead of my food.

Rabbits and weeds have been ravishing the pea patch.

I'm sorry, Joy, but I do not fancy sumac. Yours is a different kind, though, I think.

I gave these bellflowers of some kind (I think) to the people who lived here before, and they sure have spread around. I pulled some of them out today.

Here's a view from close to the back. The rabbits ate some of the asparagus, but some is growing back. I've had to keep the weeds at bay here, too, or they would have taken over. This is a different patch of potatoes than the first ones. The sun was out this morning, but I think these would like a bit more.

There is a patch of lamb's quarters in the foreground. I had a red mustard self sow all over the place last year, and a lot came up this spring, too. I ate some while small, but as it got bigger, it got bitter. I pulled a bunch up because it's starting to bloom.

This is the area behind the trees along the north side of the garden. I planted some strawberries, but didn't always keep them watered. There may not be enough sun, either. They are not doing well.

I got lots of the weeds pulled after the previous photos were taken. Here are a couple photos taken later this evening. You can see the peas. The rabbits will probably finish them off now. I planted a row of green beans for them (not really) in the middle. Even if I don't get a crop, the beans and peas will add nutrients to the soil. I planted cucumbers and scarlet runner beans around the high back bench to climb up it.

I left some of the lamb's quarters for the lady bugs. Last year, we saw lots of ladybugs developing on them.

I hope you are finding joy in your gardens, and don't have too many weeds.

I'm getting some oak seedlings coming up around the live oaks in the front garden, so I pulled them up. But mostly, I battle bermuda grass creeping under the fence and into all my borders and something I think is called goose grass in the foundation bed in front of the house.

I welcome comments and questions from anyone, including those who do it anonymously. Some people find my posts by doing searches, and I like hearing from them. I guess spammers won't even read this message, but I will delete spam as soon as I see it.

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About Me

I am married with 2 grown children, two grandsons, and a granddaugher. We live in the house on a corner lot that my husband grew up in. I have been talking him out of more grass over time in order to increase space for gardening. We have veggies, annual, biennial and perennial flowers, some wild and/or native, and herbs sharing growing areas. A number of years ago, we had to have the tree in our front yard cut down, and I put mostly native plants in this area. I love seeing insects, especially bees and butterflies frequent the blooms, and have some plants for the caterpillars to eat.

Certified 10/09

Pussytoes

Amsonia hubrichtii

Golden alexanders

Purple milkweed

Purple poppy mallow

Narrowleaf mountain mint

Rattlesnake master

7/17/13

Short-toothed mountain mint

7/18/13

Echaneaceas paradoxa and pallida

7/22/13

Wild quinine

7/19/13

Whorled milkweed

7/20/13

Ironweed

7/25/13

Wild senna

7/25/13

Grayhead coneflower 7/25/13

7/25/13

All photos are taken by me, and are current unless stated otherwise. They enlarge when clicked on, or you can push "control" and "+" several times, until the photos are a size you like. (If I am in the pic, then it was taken by my husband.)

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The photos and writing here, errors and all, belong to the author of this blog. Please do not republish them without permission.